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Making Date Nights A Priority

By Chandra Fredrick | Sep 30

This post brought to you by JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Oh Lovely Day.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the day-to-day with work, kids, school, obligations — that we forget to take time to nourish the things or people that are important but that aren’t “have to’s”. You get home from a long day at work and the last thing you feel like doing is meeting friends out for a drink. Or you finally get your kids to sleep and you’d both rather go pass out than go on a date. You forget to call your mom. It’s easy to succumb to the exhaustion or the busy or the work. That’s why you have to prioritize the date nights and the girls’ nights out and brunch with friends and the phone calls with family. It’s easy to say, but so much harder to put into practice. My husband and I have basically given up on date nights since we had a third baby. Between getting the kids to bed, not getting consistent sleep at night, finding a babysitter, and just being beat at the end of the day we have under-prioritized our own relationship, and date nights nourish that. We need it. So last week we made a date and booked a sitter and made a reservation. And even though I was up since 4:30 am and so tired, I didn’t cancel. We went and it was so so good.

We decided to go somewhere new and different instead of the same old spot we always go to (creatures of habit). So we headed to LA Live and tried Ford’s Filling Station at the Marriott. We didn’t have to rush through a meal while holding or feeding or nursing our kids. We dined! We ordered drinks (The Quiet Storm, so yum!) and had an appetizer. We indulged in scallops and filet instead of choosing a meal that we know our kids will eat since we always have to share. We shared with each other instead and it was delicious. It had been so long since we treated ourselves like that. And we ordered dessert. For each of us: berry cobbler for me and strawberry shortcake for my date, and we traded half way through. I’m still dreaming about those desserts. And then we strolled around L.A. Live and did some people watching before we headed home. It is such a great spot for a date night, girl’s night out, or for guys to hang and watch a game. And there were lots of people gathering for post-work happy hour hangs too. We must have said at least five times how nice it was to be out together and how badly we need to do it more often. We can’t wait to go back! How do you prioritize date nights or the important people in your life when things get super busy?

Where’d You Get That Play Mat?

By Chandra Fredrick | Sep 23

Time for another installment of “where’d you get that ______?” After the bath seat, the current most frequently asked product question is about our playmat. It is big so baby can crawl and roll around with plenty of space to play (I took out our living room area rug and put this in its place), thick so when they are rolling or practicing sitting up they don’t bonk their heads on the floor, and comes in great colors and patterns so that it isn’t terrible to look at. My favorite part is that it is one piece (instead of those terrible puzzle piece style playmats that babies take apart within two seconds — I super hate those!) and can just roll up and be stored when it isn’t in use or when you are done with it. We use it every single day. It would also make a good yoga/exercise mat for home use, which might motivate some nap time postpartum exercising. It even makes our floor so comfy my husband likes to lay on it to watch tv and it has become the go-to play area for all of my kids 🙂

You can find the Lollaland playmat here (bonus points for free shipping with an Amazon Prime membership!) If you order one, let me know how you like it.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something by clicking one of these links, I may make a small commission, which helps me to continue to bring you helpful content here on this blog. Thanks for the support.

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Stationery For Your Family Events From Basic Invite

By Chandra Fredrick | Sep 21

You might think that after your wedding you’ll never have a use for stationery again. And if you are a paper lover like me, that would be a huge bummer. But the good news is there are SO many more occasions for sending cards and ordering invites long after your wedding, — from baby shower invitations to birth announcements, party invites to holiday cards. And you can get stationery for every occasion all in one place with Basic Invite.

Not only can you source all of your stationery needs with Basic Invite, but they are a step above with the services they offer. They give customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options. Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual invitation so they can see exactly how it will print as well as the paper quality before they ever have to place a large order. They also offer over 40 different color options for their envelopes, which are all peel and stick (no licking!). You can basically ensure your card is exactly how you want it, down to the smallest detail and exact color choice.

So if you are afraid your days of customizable stationery are over, don’t worry — there’s always an occasion worthy of pretty paper just around the corner. And Basic Invite is there to bring your ideas to life.

*This post is sponsored by Basic Invite, but the opinions are mine.

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Where’d You Get That Bath Seat?

By Chandra Fredrick | Sep 16

I get asked a lot of questions on social media about mom-related stuff. But one of the most popular questions I’ve gotten in the last few months is “where did you get that bath seat!?” So I thought it would be helpful to post it here, so I can always just reference this post and you can all put your little ones in this great bath seat too.

So we got this bath seat for like $12 from a local store before our first baby was born. We lived in a small-ish apartment at the time and didn’t really have room to store one of those big tubs (and we only had one bathroom). This one looked perfect for our needs. Who knew that almost 6 years later three babies would have used and loved it and so many people would ask about it!

The tub isn’t widely available and was hard to find. But I managed to track a source down for you. It’s now $18 but honestly that is a steal. I’ve tried quite a few other tubs too over the years and only this one worked for all three babies. They all love sitting up, are well supported, love kicking around, and it worked well for Quincy’s reflux (our sink tub put him in such an uncomfortable position he would scream for the entire bath.) When I started putting him in this one, he started loving the bath so much. All of my babies started using it when they were ready for their first real bath until they could sit up in the tub unassisted.

You can find the bath seat here. I hope you love it as much as we have!

And I’m going to start trying to do more Friday FAQ’s, so let me know what questions I can answer for you.

Baby Gear & Baby Tech Gamechangers

By Chandra Fredrick | Sep 12

Before Quincy was born this year, I thought I knew all there was to know about baby gear. He’s only 18 months younger than my middle child, so I assumed not much had changed. Then I discovered all the new stuff out there — baby gear and tech products that are absolute game changers. So even though I didn’t plan to add many new things to our list of essentials the third time around, I couldn’t resist picking up some of the innovative, cool baby gear that’s really been life changing with baby #3.

And here’s the thing: These baby gear game changers will come in handy for new moms, as well as those that (like me) think they already have everything they need. Because when something makes your life easier as a mom, it doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran momma or a first timer. From something as simple as a $15 gas reliever to a jogging stroller that is the first of it’s kind, these are the baby gear game changers that every parent needs to know about.

Owlet Baby Heart Rate and Oxygen Monitor

This smart sock is designed to alert you if your baby stops breathing. Using pulse oximetry, the same technology that hospitals use, the smart sock monitors baby’s breathing and oxygen levels while they sleep, so you can rest worry-free. I think nervous first-time parents will especially love this! You can read more about it here and get $25 discount through this link just for my readers (no code required).

UPPAbaby G-Link Double Umbrella Stroller

Having two under two is a special kind of challenging, and a double stroller is essential. The UPPAbaby G-Link is perfect for on-the-go — I keep this in our minivan and use it when we do school drop-off and pick-up for my oldest, quick errands, and zoo and museum visits. It’s super light and easy to fold and store, and my oldest can even help push. The best part is each seat can recline separate of the other, so one can nap or both can. And the seat has an insert allowing it to work starting at birth.

Fridababy FeverFrida the iThermometer

From the genius minds behind the NoseFrida, the FeverFrida is a wearable device that constantly monitors your baby or child’s temperature and syncs it to an app on your smartphone. I recently used this with my oldest as he was suffering from ear infections and fever and it was a lifesaver since he hates getting his temp taken. I rested easier knowing if his fever spiked I would get an alert and could go check on him.

DockATot

Designed to offer a safe, snug, and soothing environment for baby to sleep in and totally breathable — this product is a great option to put inside baby’s crib or to use if you co-sleep. And it helps baby transition to new sleeping environments, like co-sleeping to crib or crib to bed and works as a travel bed, too. I’ve used this with Quincy from an early age and he seems to love the cozy feeling and falls asleep easily.

Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock

Shopping with baby just became that much easier thanks to this cool product. Solved is the “my infant carrier takes up the whole shopping cart” problem — Binxy Baby lets you put baby directly into the hammock or secure your infant seat safely into it, leaving the cart beneath baby free to fill with groceries or all that stuff at Target you don’t need.

Hatch Smart Pad

This changing pad is probably my favorite new thing in baby gear. It is a changing pad and a scale in one, helping you keep track of baby’s weight, feedings, sleep, and more. It syncs to an app on your phone so you can have access to the info anytime and anywhere. It’s especially helpful if you’re a breastfeeding mom and need to check your baby’s weight between doctor’s visits. I have one and I love it! It has been a lifesaver with Quincy’s reflux management since his med dosage depends on his weight.

FridaBaby NailFrida

Two things on this list should be on every registry and in every baby gift, regardless of whether you’re having your first baby or your 5th. So simple, so affordable, and so helpful, the NailFrida are nail clippers for baby that have a safety window so you can see the nail where you are clipping. It also has a curved blade similar to baby scissors — making it almost impossible to clip baby’s skin when you are trimming their nails. This thing is worth its weight in gold times 100.

Ergobaby Adapt

I’ve been vocal about my love of baby wearing and Ergobaby carriers here on my blog and also on my instagram feed. The only downside was that you can’t really use the carrier with newborns without an insert. It is sort of a pain in the ass to always have to do the insert, remember to take it places, etc. Well, Ergobaby fixed all of that with their new Adapt 3 position carrier. You can use it starting at birth and without an insert and until your child is 45 pounds (which is way longer than any of my kids every wanted to be worn).

Orbit Baby O2 Jogging Stroller

Love to jog? This stroller is for you. It works with baby in either the parent- or forward-facing directions and with either the infant seat or toddler seat attached; it’s the first jogging stroller of its kind to do so. It also makes for a great urban stroller when you aren’t exercising.

The 4Moms Highchair

After two babies I still had not found a highchair I loved. Until I met the new one from 4Moms (I have not found a product yet that they make that I don’t love!) This highchair is super easy to put together, even easier to clean (the most important feature of any highchair in my opinion), is lightweight, and doesn’t take up a ton of space. But the really cool feature of the chair is that it has a magnetic tray, which is how the tray locks into place (making it dummy-proof). And it is compatible with special magnetic dishes (the chair comes with one bowl and you can buy more here) that are designed to stay put on the tray.

The FridaBaby Windi

The Fridababy Windi is so simple and so brilliant! All infants suffer from gas from time to time, and if you have a baby with colic (like I do) the suffering is much more frequent. This little tool helps relieve baby’s discomfort quickly and easily. It seems a little weird at first, but I’m telling you IT WORKS MIRACLES. Buy a few so you don’t run out when you need them.

Now let’s be honest for a sec: do you NEED all of these? No, you don’t need ALL of them. But you are going to want them all, and for good reason. I would say you do need the FridaBaby products for sure. If you are a first time parent, I think the Owlet is an essential. If you have multiple kids, the G-Link and Binxy Baby make life way more convenient. And the Hatch Pad is a game changer for breastfeeding moms. Every single one of these products will add a bit more convenience to your life, and as a mom of 3 (especially two under two) convenience is gold.

Do you have any of these? Share your thoughts, or any other new(ish) products that are game changers for you.